10 Shows To Watch if You Love ‘The Sandman’

When The Sandman premiered on Netflix in 2022, it was a pretty great adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s legendary comic book series. Tom Sturridgeas Morpheus is the stuff of dreams, no pun intended. As entertaining as it is, though, The Sandman is more than just witty dialogue and breathtaking visuals. At its core, the show blends philosophy and mythology to explore human nature, and that’s what made it such a hit with the fans.

While it’s easier to move between genres in text, the series manages to do complete justice to the concept as it moves from horror to fantasy to existential drama between episodes. Considering this, Netflix’s decision to cancel it after Season 2 came as a surprise. Luckily, there are plenty of shows to help you deal with the loss.

10

‘Pushing Daisies’ (2007–2009)

Created by Bryan Fuller

When Pushing Daisiespremiered in 2007, the concept of the show wasstraight-up unhinged, but that’s what makes it such a fun watch. The premise revolves around Ned (Lee Pace), a pie-maker who has the supernatural ability to bring the dead back to life with a single touch. There’s a catch, though, because if he leaves someone alive for more than 60 seconds, someone else dies in their place. Not just that, but a second touch from Ned will also kill the person he brings back to life. If that isn’t enough to convince you to watch the show, I don’t know what is.

Pushing Daisies is a hilarious yet endearing mix of romance, murder mystery, and fantasy.On paper, it sounds like a slightly weird idea, but it definitely works on screen. Not to mention that it’s one of the most visually distinct shows I have ever seen, which is a great way to immerse the viewer in this fantastical, imaginative experience. Despite its light-hearted tone, though, Pushing Daisies does a great job of addressing the very concept of death and the griefthat inevitably comesalong with it. It’s really unfair that the show was axed after just two seasons, but to this day, Pushing Daisies is a cult favorite, and it’s not hard to see why.

9

‘Penny Dreadful’ (2014–2016)

Created by John Logan

If you want something a little more in-your-face, Penny Dreadfulis the perfect dark fantasy series to binge. At its core, the show is an impressive tribute to gothic horror.However, unlike most other shows in the genre, it also has an extraordinary amount of depth when it comes to the story and characters. The show follows Vanessa (Eva Green),a tortured medium struggling to maintain balance between the two worlds. My favorite part of the show, though, is how its supporting characters are pulled directly from classic horror literature. You have the menacing Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway),Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), and even Count Dracula (Christian Camargo).

Green definitely steals the show, though, with her raw andemotionally intense portrayalof Vanessa as she battles everything from demonic possessions to her own inner monsters. It’s a great thing that the producers didn’t drag the story on for too longand ended the show with three brilliant seasons. If you’re looking to fill the haunting, mythical void that The Sandman has left behind, Penny Dreadful is the perfect watch.

8

‘The Umbrella Academy’ (2019–2024)

Created by Steve Blackman

Based on the comic book of the same name by Gerard Way andGabriel Bá, The Umbrella Academyis an all-consuming story about an extremely dysfunctional family that will leave you wanting more. The show follows seven adopted siblings, all born under mysterious circumstances and raised by a billionaire to save the world. The story picks up years later, when the siblings are no longer in touch. However, when their adoptive father suddenly dies, they are forced to come back together again. From time travel to alternate timelines and a lot of personal drama mixed in, The Umbrella Academy never has a dull moment. Parts of the show are definitely bizarre, but you really have to embrace that.

As much as it leans into surrealism,though, I love the emotional depth of the narrative. At the end of the day, The Umbrella Academy is a perfect portrayal of how messy and fractured relationships can get after years of resentment and misunderstanding. The show’s heavy themes are placed against its comic-book-style visuals, a memorable soundtrack, and beautifully choreographed action sequences that will remind you of The Sandman more than once, thanks to its expansive, mythology-rich world.

7

‘Shadow and Bone’ (2021–2023)

Created by Eric Heisserer

After the Shadow and Bone novel series by Leigh Bardugo went viral on BookTok, it was only a matter of time before the Grishaverse found its way to the screen. Now, I know book-to-screen adaptations almost never get it right, but this show is an exception. The great part about the series is that you don’t need to read the books to catch up with the story. Shadow and Bone follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a cartographer who discovers that she is the Sun Summoner, the only Grisha who can destroy the mysterious Shadow Fold that divides the kingdom of Ravka between the good and the bad.

The show’s use of mythology to drive the plot forward is one of its biggest strengths. You immediately find yourself invested in this world full of ancient hierarchies and dark prophecies. I really like that the show doesn’t have a clear line between good and evil, and that it features morally complicated characters trying to make what they think are the right choices. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after just two seasons, but even then, the rich worldbuilding of Shadow and Bone makes it a must-watch, whether fantasy is your thing or not.

6

‘Wednesday’ (2022–)

Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar

Wednesday Addams has always been an iconic character in pop culture, so the success of Netflix’s Wednesdaydidn’t really come as a surprise to anyone. I have to say that Jenna Ortegawas the perfect actor to bring this kooky yet charming character to life in a story of her own. Wednesday reimagines the titular character as a teenager in the modern world who attends the Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for supernatural outcasts. The show could have easily been a heavy dose of existentialism, but it manages to strike the perfect balance between whimsical and downright horrific.

Wednesday’s unapologetic, deadpan nature only makes her more endearing as the show goes on. The plot thickens when we find out that she has inherited her mother’s psychic abilities, which she then uses to solve a local murder. Aside from its gothic elements and scary monsters, the show is more about identity than anything. The real complexity comes when you see that Wednesday, despite all her quirks, is just a girl struggling to be understood by the people around her. The show is Tim Burtonat his best. If you loved The Sandman for its eerie, mythical storytelling, Wednesday has to be your next watch.

5

‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–2017)

Created by David Lynch and Mark Frost

Back when Twin Peakspremiered, the world really hadn’t seen a show so surreal with a story that slipped in and out of reality like it was no big deal. What initially appeared to be a small-town murder mystery turned out to be a story with doppelgängers, ancient spirits, and cryptic symbols that are never fully explained. That was the entire point of Twin Peaks, though. The premise was meant to be unsettling and nonsensical. Instead of watching a linear plot unfold, you experience an abstract exploration of time, trauma, and identity.

In a way, the show is more of an art piece rather than actual TV, which means that it definitely isn’t easy viewing. While The Sandman was a relatively straightforward story about reality-bending, Twin Peaks takes things to a whole new level with its symbolism. Trust me, sometimes, you might have to watch a few episodes more than once to understand what’s being communicated fully. This discomfort of the unknown, though, is exactly what keeps you wanting more. Twin Peaks is a show that you just have to watch to know why it’s so special, because words just can’t do justice to its brilliance.

4

‘Lucifer’ (2016–2021)

Created by Tom Kapinos

For a more light-hearted exploration of mythology and modern-day urban fantasy, Luciferis a great show that’s relatively easy and fun to follow. Not to mention that the character, Lucifer, originally appeared in Neil Gaiman‘s The Sandman comics, so the stories take place in the same universe. The TV version, though, is a looser and much more hilarious adaptation of the source material. The series follows Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), who is tired of being the ruler of Hell and decides to open a piano bar in Los Angeles. In a hilarious turn of events, he ends up helping the LAPD solve crimes while trying to deal with his cosmic responsibilities on the side.

I’ll admit that the premise hooked me right off the bat, and I loved this combination of a procedural drama with elements of fantasy. Ellis, obviously, is the main attraction. You might not think you’ll ever find the devil attractive, but that’s about to change the minute you tune into Lucifer. That’s not to say that the show is without heart and complexity. The celestial lore of the show is surprisingly rich, and by the end of every episode, Lucifer does experience some kind of growth. The show is definitely not as hard-hitting as The Sandman, but it’s relatable with its blatanthumanization of gods and demons as beings who go to therapy, fall in love, and do other shockingly human things.

3

‘Doctor Who’ (1963–)

Created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson

This one might be a bit obvious, but if you loved The Sandman and haven’t watched Doctor Who, you’re losing out big time. I know watching a show with 26 seasons sounds like a chore, but Doctor Who is worth the investment. The series is about an alien called the Doctor, a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, who travels through time and space. Each time the Doctor dies, they regenerate into a new version of themselves with a different face and personality. This means that the show is anything but inconsistent. So far, there have been 15 different versions of the Doctor, and each one has been different from the last. This keeps things interesting while providing some semblance of familiarity that keeps you hooked right from the start.

David Tennant‘srun as the Tenth Doctor was quite a moment in British pop culture, and his seasons really demonstrated the show’s emotional storytelling at its best. My favorite part about Doctor Who is its genre-bending storylines that go from horror to romance and soap opera in the span of a week. Despite that, though, the story never feels disjointed, and that is the genius of the show. In a way, Morpheus and the Doctor are two sides of the same coin in the way that they bring myth and mortality together. Doctor Who, however, takes the cake for being one of the most ambitious shows of all time that never backs down from pushing the limits of creative storytelling.

2

‘Good Omens’ (2019–2025)

Created by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman isn’t Gaiman’s only masterpiece. If anything, the writer proved that he had a knack for blending myth and reality with the 2019 series, Good Omens.Based on the novel Gaiman wrote with Terry Pratchett, the show follows an angel, Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), and a demon, Crowley (David Tennant), who take it upon themselves to stop the world from ending. If anything, the show is best described as a biblical fever dream, since the story kicks off with the birth of the Antichrist (Sam Taylor Buck). I really appreciate the show for not taking itself too seriously and using existential dread and dry humor to tell a story that could have easily been too preachy.

Sheen and Tennant share maybe the best on-screen chemistry I have seen in years. If not for anything else, you have to tune in to Good Omens to watch the never-ending banter between these two while the deadline of the apocalypse draws closer. The show also has its surprisingly tender and emotional moments that talk about the importance of friendship and the little things worth saving in life. Like The Sandman, Good Omens is able to take these massive concepts and bring them to a realistic setting.

1

‘Grimm’ (2011–2017)

Created by Stephen Carpenter, David Greenwalt, and Jim Kouf

If you’re looking for something that really leans into mythology more traditionally, Grimm is the perfect show for that. On the surface, it looks like yet another procedural, but you’ll be in for a ride when the show suddenly evolves into a supernatural epic. The story follows Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), a homicide detective who learns that he is a Grimm, the latest in a long line of guardians who can spot the deadly mythological creatures known as Wesen. Now, don’t get me wrong, some Wesen want to keep the peace, but Nick is up against those who want to see the world fall. To do so, though, he has to be on guard and determine who his enemies are and who he can trust to be by his side.

What’s really exciting, though, is that Nick’s partner, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell),is a reformed Wesen who becomes Nick’s primary source of information. Their unlikely friendship is one of the best parts of the show, and I love the way it evolves over time. While each episode of the show is a self-contained mystery, something larger is always brewing in the background, and that’s where the mythology elements really come into play. The show is edgy and dark, but not overwhelmingly so, which makes it such a great watch.

NEXT: 10 Best Shows to Watch Before Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’